Hello from sunny Ayrshire!

Crikeymikey

Crikeymikey

A2OC Donor
My name is Mike and I am an Audi lover.
There... I said it. What a relief. :)
My 19 year old Mk1 TT has been with me for 14 years and I recently decided it should have some equally classic company in the shape of what has turned out to be an unloved little A2.
I came to realise immediately that the "soft touch curse" is part of the A2 ownership experience, previous owner neglect being an unwelcome added bonus.
But the Opensky still works so it's not all bad!
A 20 year old car is going to be hiding some horrors and mine is no exception. The repair and restoration process is well under way. Overdue service work, rectification and cosmetics have already cost me £1500 and the leaking valve cover has yet to be addressed!
But I have fallen in love with the little thing and all of it's "quirks and features".
Expect to hear me begging for advice in the coming months and years.
 
Welcome aboard,

Mine also an AUA "rescue". Named Battersea, as in the Dogs home. You'll find a wealth of help and information on here and we'd all like to know more.
I have it on good authority that photos are required.
Don't forget that cambelt and water pump are a must. Apologies if I'm stating the b..... obvious,
but my first A2 bought from a trade "worthy" in Malvern, with 144,000, "full service history" cambelt and waterpump stamped as done and well within time. Turned out that service record was a work of fiction and my Audi Specialist stated that the belt that came out of the car was the original one as fitted by the factory! He was very surprised that it had lasted as long as it had.
 
Welcome aboard Mike :) Feel free to ask any and all questions, we love to help! Or searching is best done through Google adding A2OC to your search terms. Hard-touch switchgear comes up for sale occasionally - unfortunately you've just missed one lot, but you could also try @jp.oog who offers a restore service for climate units and headlight switches, essentially converting them to hard-touch with new icons. Hopefully you've received your Welcome email which has details of how to access the Market.
 
Proghound said:
Welcome aboard Mike :) Feel free to ask any and all questions, we love to help! Or searching is best done through Google adding A2OC to your search terms. Hard-touch switchgear comes up for sale occasionally - unfortunately you've just missed one lot, but you could also try @jp.oog who offers a restore service for climate units and headlight switches, essentially converting them to hard-touch with new icons. Hopefully you've received your Welcome email which has details of how to access the Market.
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Welcome email received and, rest assured, I will be visiting the market.
The switchgear really is flippin' aweful on the A2! What on earth were Audi thinking! My TT is the same age, with higher mileage, and still looks new on the inside.
@jp.oog is about to hit the top of my Xmas card list. :)
 
The blue interior is growing on me. Still, a little unusual. As is the 3 seat rear configuration, which is ambitious to say the least!
 

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simon martyn said:
Welcome aboard,

Mine also an AUA "rescue". Named Battersea, as in the Dogs home. You'll find a wealth of help and information on here and we'd all like to know more.
I have it on good authority that photos are required.
Don't forget that cambelt and water pump are a must. Apologies if I'm stating the b..... obvious,
but my first A2 bought from a trade "worthy" in Malvern, with 144,000, "full service history" cambelt and waterpump stamped as done and well within time. Turned out that service record was a work of fiction and my Audi Specialist stated that the belt that came out of the car was the original one as fitted by the factory! He was very surprised that it had lasted as long as it had.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the welcome, Steve. And NEVER apologise for stating "the obvious". The World would be a worse place without it!
Fourteen years of TT ownership and nothing has ever gone wrong. Probably because I've actually looked after the thing and had it scrupulously maintained. A2s seems to be objects of neglect however. Consequently, you can't take anything on face value. Caveat emptor, and all that guff.
In the case of this A2, the service history stopped 10 years ago, so no chances taken.
I had EVERYTHING done shortly after purchase. Oil and filter, coolant flush, cambelt, tensioner and water pump, air and cabin filter, front discs and pads, and even a refurbished steering rack. Then I noticed all the interior switches and lights that weren't working.
I do think A2s are finally receiving the credit the design deserves. Heck, even Clarkson put it in the cool section of the Cool Wall, despite calling it a "crap car".
I send my best wishes to "Battersea". Greetings from "Money Pit". Lol!
 
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PlasticMac said:
The Mk1 TT and an A2 is a good combo. I'm biased of course.
Our TT is a Glacier. Blue 190 FWD, the A2 is a Mauritius Blue FSI Sport.
Mac.
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A privilege to meet another Audi masochist, Mac.
To be honest, if someone is daft enough to own 2 older cars it makes sense that they come from the same manufacturer. A lot of the knowledge necessary is transferable, making the experience (marginally) less daft.
Your taste is impeccable, sir.
But I'm biased as well. :)
 
Funny that, Battersea not only had no service history for 10 years, but no servicing either! MOT Advisories were all that were done. "Well I don't do a big mileage". I bought on the basis that at least it won't have been bodged, unlike the thing from Malvern. How many miles has "money pit" done?

Regards,

Simon
 
simon martyn said:
That's a cracking looking car, Mike.
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Ha! Word to the wise, Steve. Digital photography covers a multitude of sins! :)
But I am curiously smitten and now the little thing is on the road to recovery.
I've bought a 220 year old cottage to renovate so a 20 year old A2 should be a piece of cake. He said... !
 
simon martyn said:
Funny that, Battersea not only had no service history for 10 years, but no servicing either! MOT Advisories were all that were done. "Well I don't do a big mileage". I bought on the basis that at least it won't have been bodged, unlike the thing from Malvern. How many miles has "money pit" done?

Regards,

Simon
Click to expand...
86k...allegedly, Steve. There are plenty of signs of things having been bodged. Like the front rad, fan, lower bumper and 37 piece undertray! But I only discovered these after the 30 day statutory warranty had lapsed, by which time I had, oddly, become smitten by the flippin' thing.
So no regrets. I like the idea of saving something from the scrappie. Makes me feels all noble. Lol!
 
I thought these might fit, and they did. Hurrah! Surplus from the TT and as rare as heck I believe.
 

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In case anyone is interested. And you'd be mad to be...

On top of a complete major service, brembo front discs and pads, and a refurbished steering rack, I also dealt with these niggles:

1) No spare key, so ordered one from Ayr Audi. £240 incl. coding. Dick Turpin is clearly the Dealer Principal there!
2) Fuel flap release solenoid had given up the ghost. Ebay used part. Very fiddly. You need a 3mm socket. £8.
3) Boot light not working. Removed light to discover it wasn't connected. Reconnected and now working fine. No cost.
4) Rear sear interior light not working. Buttons illuminated but no power to bulb. Ebay part. £15.
5) Chorus head unit volume control button missing! Had to buy a complete head unit for spares. £15.
6) No rear parcel shelf/cover. Ebay used part £20.
7) Drivers sun blind wouldn't stay up. Kept hitting me in the face on entry and exit. £25 used from... yup, Ebay again.
8) Alloy wheel centre caps all missing. OEM replacements bought. Transformed the look of the car. £130.
9) ASR switch grubby and horibble looking. Blanking panel below, missing. Both on ebay. £25. Old ASR kept as spare.
10) Drivers door central lock/unlock switch grubby. £20.
11) No floor mats whatsoever. Rubber ones bought. £25.
12) Wheel dust caps missing. £1. For all four!
13) Undertray had to be removed for steering rack job and was deemed to be scrap. Pattern one bought. £130.

Things still waiting to be done:

1) Valve cover leak. Plug holes 2 and 3 need mopping out every week. Big job as cover holds cams in place. Eek!
2) Fuse panel cover missing. Waiting to source.
3) Old style wiper arm, worn but someone has successfully bodged with a tie wrap to keep off windscreen. Need a proper solution.
4) Silencer box sounds like baffle has failed. Exhaust drones on motorway trips.
5) Cruise control for TT to go in A2 instead.
6) Spare "comfort blinker relay" to be fitted. Did the TT and it's a great mod. One tap, 3 flashes, like a modern car.
6) Blue tooth dongle to be fitted to the back of head unit.
7) Wheel spacers to be fitted to increase track and make A2 less "jiggly".
8) Rad does not appear to be correct and fan has been screwed DIRECTLY to the rad! Investigation required.
9) Front bumper lower to be bent back into shape ( looks like a kerb victim) and replacement undertray to be fitted.
10) All upholstry to be deep cleaned of previous owners smeg and mechanics oily paw prints.
11) Wheels to be refurbished.
12) Windscreen to be replaced due to wiper arm scratches. See (3).

Beggars belief, doesn't it? :cool:
 
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From the to-do list, talk to Paul @depronman for the wiper arm. He refurbs them to better than OEM standard. Door checkstraps too. If you have a broken fuse cover (eBay one if not :)) then he also does a set of 3D-printed clips to replace the fragile spindly things that Audi designed it with.

Then for cruise control, komfortblinker and anything else electrical, talk to Tom @timmus. He's in Lancaster so not a million miles from you, with Paul only a bit further on.
 
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